Investigating the matrix effect of high/low methoxyl pectins on typical aroma of apple juice using HS-SPME-GC-MS and NMR analysis.

Aroma quality is a key focus for apple juice producers and consumers alike. This study explored how pectin affects aroma release in apple juices. Initially, study selected 14 typical aroma compounds to examine pectin's matrix effects in both model and actual juices. The molecular interactions between pectin and these aromas were analyzed by using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Physicochemical analyses revealed that the concentration of pectin retained aroma in cloudy juice was higher. Juices with high methoxyl pectin retained more aroma than those with low methoxyl pectin. The addition of pectin inhibits the release of most volatile substances, such as esters and aldehydes, while promoting the release of alcohols. This is because D-galacturonic acid chemically bonded with esters and aldehydes. Sensory tests showed that pectin addition masked off-flavors and boosted floral notes, also extending the finish of the apple juice. The findings suggest methods and provide theoretical support for improving apple juice aroma by managing pectin levels.

Ccrl2 deficiency deteriorates obesity and insulin resistance through increasing adipose tissue macrophages infiltration.

Obesity-induced inflammation, characterized by augmented infiltration and altered balance of macrophages, is a critical component of systemic insulin resistance. Chemokine-chemokine receptor system plays a vital role in the macrophages accumulation. CC-Chemokine Receptor-like 2 (Ccrl2) is one of the receptors of Chemerin, which is a member of atypical chemokine receptors (ACKR) family, reported taking part in host immune responses and inflammation-related conditions. In our study, we found ccrl2 expression significantly elevated in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) of high fat diet (HFD) induced obese mice and ob/ob mice. Systemic deletion of Ccrl2 gene aggravated HFD induced obesity and insulin resistance and ccrl2 -/- mice showed aggravated VAT inflammation and increased M1/M2 macrophages ratio, which is due to the increase of macrophages chemotaxis in Ccrl2 deficiency mice. Cumulatively, these results indicate that Ccrl2 has a critical function in obesity and obesity-induced insulin resistance via mediating macrophages chemotaxis.

Higher Levels of Pre-operative Peripheral Lymphocyte Count Is a Favorable Prognostic Factor for Patients With Stage I and II Rectal Cancer.

The clinical significance of peripheral blood parameters has been considered to be a potential prognostic indicator for malignancies. In this study, 224 colorectal cancer (CRC; ncolon = 103; nrectal = 121) patients who underwent resection were enrolled, and the pre- and post-operative clinical laboratory data within 1 week, before and after surgery, were collected. The prognostic value of the counts of white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet, the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) were analyzed. Data revealed that pre-operative lymphocyte count (pre-LC) was much higher than that of post-LC (p < 0.001), and only rectal cancer patients with pre-LChigh (>median: 1.61 × 109/L) had a significantly better overall survival (OS) and 5-year survival rate (SR) than those with pre-LClow (OS: 62.3 vs. 49.5 months; SR: 74.0 vs. 43.0%; p = 0.006). Cox's proportional hazard models revealed that pre-LChigh was an independent, favorable prognostic factor for rectal cancer patients (hazard ratio = 0.348; p = 0.003). Moreover, when the disease stages were stratified, the pre-LChigh was significantly associated with better prognosis of rectal cancer patients with stage I + II rectal cancer (n = 65; OS: 67.5 vs. 54.3 months; p = 0.011). Taken together, our study revealed that pre-operative lymphocyte count is an independent prognostic factor for patients with stage I and II rectal cancer.

Effect of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4, 5-b] pyridine on oxidative stress and gene expression of c-fos, c-jun, p16 and Rb in rat colons and protective role of seabuckthorn seed oil.

Exposure to 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4, 5-b] pyridine (PhIP), a typical example of heterocyclic amine compounds, increases colon cancer risk. Seabuckthorn (SBT) seed oil is a biologically active substance extracted from seeds of wild Hippophae rhamnoides L. Here, we sought to investigate the toxicological mechanisms underlying oxidative stress and cancer-related gene expression in the rat colons as well as the protective effect of SBT seed oil against colonic oxidative damage. Our results showed that PhIP significantly decreased the anti-oxidative enzyme activities whereas increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, protein carbonyl (PCO) levels and DNA-protein cross-links (DPC) coefficients in the rat colons compared with the solvent-control group. Moreover, PhIP activated expression of c-fos and c-jun and inhibited p16 and Rb expression. Additionally, SBT seed oil plus PhIP significantly improved antioxidant markers and reduced the levels of MDA, PCO and DPC compared to those in rats exposed to PhIP alone. These data indicated that PhIP could induce oxidative stress and abnormal alterations of cancer-related gene expression in the rat colons while SBT seed oil may be beneficial because of its ability to alleviate the PhIP-induced oxidative damage to the rats.

[Source and enrichment of heavy metals in sewage-irrigated area soil of Dagu Sewage Discharge Channel].

Concentrations of metals, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and organic matter were determined in topsoil (0-25 cm) and subsoil (25-50 cm) samples collected from 16 selected blocks in the sewage-irrigated area of Dagu Sewage Discharge Channel in Tianjin, China. Contamination factors (CF), relative enrichment factors (REF) and cluster analysis (CA) were taken to analyze the source and enrichment of heavy metals. The results show that the concentrations of Hg, Cd, Pb and Zn are above the 1st limit value of Environmental Quality Standard for Soils (China), while those of As, Ni and Cr are below the 1st limit value of the standard. The concentrations of Hg, Cd, Pb, Zn, As, Ni and Cr in topsoil are 0.323, 0.341, 44.7, 108.29, 11.2, 29.86 and 66.6 mg/kg, respectively. CF and REF of Hg in topsoil are 10.8 and 7.2, respectively, which indicates very high contamination and moderately severe enrichment. Both factors of Cd are 3.8 and 4.5, and indicate considerable contamination and moderate enrichment. Those of Pb, Zn and As are all less than three, which indicates moderate contamination and minor enrichment. As for Ni and Cr, their contamination is low and no enrichment occurs. REF for Hg, Pb and Zn in topsoil is relatively higher than that in subsoil while As in subsoil is higher. When compared with data measured in 1985, the concentrations of Cd and As increase while those of Hg, Pb and Zn decrease. Furthermore, measures, including CA and in situ investigation, are taken to identify the main sources of heavy metal contamination, and it shows that Hg and As contamination result from anthropogenic effect as well as deposition of coal combustion. Cd, Zn and Pb contamination are mainly from sewage irrigation, and atmosphere deposition also makes certain contribution. Ni and Cr contamination are attributed to natural sources.

[Concentrations and distribution of heavy metals in urban sewage discharge channel of Tianjin].

Concentrations of metals, organic matter(OM), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were determined in sediment and soil samples collected from 15 selected sites along Dagu sewage discharge channel in Tianjin, China. Relative enrichment factors and correlation analysis were taken to study the distribution and pollution level of metals. The results show that pollution level is more serious in sediment than that in soil. Hg, Cd, Zn and Pb are more enriched while Cr, Ni and As are less enriched. Relative enrichment factors (REF) of Hg, Cd, Zn and Pb in sediment are 59.3, 25.4, 14.5 and 7.5, and that in soil are 8.44, 5.19, 6.6 and 3.3, respectively. The heavy metal concentrations greatly vary among different sampling sites, which is demonstrated by the fact that coefficient of variation (CV) varies from 74.4% to 110.8% in sediment. The highest enrichments of heavy metals are found in sampling site S4 and S12, which are affected by chemical industry wastewater. There is no significant correlation between metal concentrations in sediment and those in soil. The concentrations of heavy metals in sediment are not reciprocally correlated, either. However, significant correlations exist among many pollutants in soil. Hg, Cd, Zn and Pb are positively correlated with each other, at the same time they are positively correlated with OM, TN and TP, but Cr, Ni and As are poorly correlated with OM and TP, which suggests that Cd, Zn and Pb have similar environmental geochemical properties and are contaminated by anthropogenic impact. When compared with the main rivers in Tianjin, the enrichment of heavy metals in Dagu sewage discharge channel is relatively high.